Rhetoric+Unit+1

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 ESSENTIAL QUESTION
//How do authors use rhetoric to support a claim?//

This unit introduces students to rhetoric in nonfiction and in poetry and asks students to determine the purpose of the use of the rhetoric in each piece through analysis of the author’s specific word choice, figurative language, and identification of the author’s claim.

Common Core Standards
**RL.9-10.2** Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. **RL.9-10.4** Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). **RL.9-10.6** Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. **RI.9-10.3** Analyze how an author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. **RI.9-10.4** Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g. how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). **RI.9-10.5** Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). **RI.9-10.6** Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. **RI.9-10.8** Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. **W.9-10.2.a-f** Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other relevant information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic). <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">W.9-10.9.a, b Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”). <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">b. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”). <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify or challenge ideas and conclusions. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">e. Seek to understand other perspectives and cultures and communicate effectively with audiences or individuals from varied backgrounds. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.1.a** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Use parallel structure. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.2.a** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.4.a, b** Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.5.a** Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.1** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**L.9-10.5** Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Reading–Literature **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Reading—Informational Text **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Writing **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Speaking & Listening **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">SL.9-10.1.a-e **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Language **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CCS Standards: Language **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Suggested Student Objectives
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students will be required to:

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Read closely for textual details. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Annotate texts to support comprehension and analysis. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Engage in productive evidence-based conversations about text. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use rubrics for self-assessment and peer review of writing. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Generate and respond to questions in scholarly discourse. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Independently preview text in preparation for supported analysis. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">7) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">8) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Determine meaning of unknown vocabulary.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Required Readings
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Short Stories/ Poems: “In This Blind Alley,” Ahmad Shamlu (required) “Freedom,” Rabindranath Tagore (required) “Women,” Alice Walker (required)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resource Links
//<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Found on Engageny.org // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Module 2, Unit 1, 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Module 2, Unit 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Module 2, Unit 1, 3) – additional models available on Engageny.org <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Module 2, Unit 1, 3) – additional models available on Engageny.org <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Module 2, Unit 1, 2, 3) – additional models available on Engageny.org

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Activities
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fishbowl protocol:The fishbowl is a peer-learning strategy in which some participants are in an outer circle and one or more are in the center. In all fishbowl activities both those in the inner and those in the outer circles have roles to fulfill. Those in the center, model a particular practice or strategy. The outer circle acts as observers and may assess the interaction of the center group. Fishbowls can be used to assess comprehension, to assess group work, to encourage constructive peer assessment, to discuss issues in the classroom, or to model specific techniques such as literature circles or Socratic Seminars.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tips and Variations for the Fishbowl <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Video:** Fishbowl protocol in a 10th grade ELA class:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After one round of a fishbowl, teachers might have the two circles change places. When all the students have experienced both the inside and the outside of the fishbowl, the teacher can ask questions like: What was it like being inside the circle? Outside the circle? How are the two roles different? What did you learn from each? How do you think you will carry what you learned from this exercise into small-group discussions? Into whole-class discussions?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some teachers leave an empty seat in the fishbowl for an outside participant who wants to speak. He or she should move to the vacant seat and join the discussion until someone else from outside the circle wants to join. That person then taps the first person on the shoulder, and they quietly switch places.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many teachers stay out of the fishbowl, since their presence can make the discussion less natural. Whether in or out of the group, however, the teacher must keep time, attend to behavior issues that the fishbowl group cannot handle, and maintain group protocols.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stay and Stray **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The teacher will divide the class into groups of four or five students, with each group getting a poem and/or piece of artwork, an oversized sheet of paper, and markers. Within the groups, the students will analyze the poem/artwork that was assigned to them and discuss their thoughts and feelings relating to the work. The group will then use the oversized sheet of paper and markers in order to create a visual presentation of their discussion. At the end of the group activity, one student will volunteer to be the presenter while the other members of the group will watch the presentations of the other groups. The students watching the presentations will have a short period of time to read the poem assigned to the other group or view the piece of artwork. The presenters will then discuss what their group thought and explain the work that was completed.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Table Text **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The teacher will divide the class into groups of four or five students. Each group will receive a poem along with a worksheet presenting four to five questions (enough for each student in the group to always have a question to answer). The students will read the poem, then answer the first question on their worksheet. After a predetermined time interval, the students will switch worksheets and then answer the next question. Once all the questions on the worksheet have been answered, the students will then have a group conversation based on their thoughts and the answers of their classmates.

> (This may also be incorporated into poetic writing by providing the students with a writing prompt and having them write without worrying about format, grammar, or any particular rhyme scheme.) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Think-Pair-Share** Considering and thinking about a topic or question and then writing what has been learned; pairing with a peer or a small group to share ideas; sharing ideas and discussion with a larger group To construct meaning about a topic or question; to test thinking in relation to the ideas of others; to prepare for a discussion with a larger group <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Discussion Groups Engaging in an interactive, small group discussion, often with an assigned role; to consider a topic, text, question, and so on To gain new understanding or insight of a text from multiple perspectives <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Quickwrite Responding to a text by writing for a short, specific amount of time about a designated topic or idea related to a text to activate background knowledge, clarify issues, facilitate making connections, and allow for reflection. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Poetry Reading Exercises/strategies **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Close Reading - Access small sections of a poem (several lines or a stanza) for the students to read. Then have the students re-read, mark, and annotate the key passages word-by-word and line-by-line.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marking the Text - Selecting text by highlighting, underlining, and/or annotating for specific poetic elements.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Visualizing - Forming a picture (mentally and/or literally) while reading the text.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Free Writing - Using a fluid brainstorming process to write without constraints in order to solidify and convey the writer's purpose.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">TWIST Analysis - Analyzing a poetic work by looking at the following literary elements: tone, word choice (diction), imagery, style, and theme. The analysis can be done as a chart and/or written response.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Choral Reading - Reading text lines aloud individual and/or in student groups to present an interpretation. (This can also be coupled with oral interpretation - reading a text orally while providing the necessary inflection and emphasis that demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of the poem.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Assessment
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Assessment Writing Prompts – See Module Overview <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unit 1 Sample Writing Prompts <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Letter from Birmingham Jail” By ML King, Jr.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do specific words and phrases contribute to the impact of King’s opening?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King develop his reasons for being in Birmingham in paragraphs 3–5? How do these ideas connect to the first two paragraphs of his letter?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Identify two or more of King’s reasons for being in Birmingham as described in paragraphs 3–5.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which of the clergymen’s “statement[s]” does King report reading in the first sentence of the letter? In your own words, what does the “statement” say about King’s work?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why does King “seldom, if ever” respond to criticism?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the relationship of the phrase “outsiders coming in” (par. 2) to King’s description of his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and its affiliates?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the impact of King’s claim, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”? How does King refine this claim?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">King concludes paragraph 4 with the statement, “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.” How does King develop this idea across paragraph 4? What details does King use to develop the idea?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King use the description of the “city fathers” to support his claims about Birmingham?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do paragraphs 7–9 develop a claim King makes in paragraph 6?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King’s use of rhetoric in paragraph 6 advance his purpose in that paragraph?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King use rhetoric in paragraph 9 to advance his purpose?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What are the different ways in which King uses the word “tension” in paragraph 9?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Given King’s purpose and his word choices, what can you infer is his central claim in paragraph 10?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Identify King’s supporting claim in paragraph 10. What evidence does King use to support this claim? How is this evidence connected to the claim?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What reasoning does King use to enhance this supporting claim? How does this reasoning support his claims in paragraph 10?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King’s supporting claim that “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” develop the central claim he makes in paragraph 10?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does this use of figurative language further King’s central claim?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the effect of King’s use of the word “you” in paragraph 11? How does this effect develop your understanding of King’s purpose paragraph 11?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In paragraph 13, how does King define unjust laws? Cite his three specific definitions.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King use Buber’s quote to develop his central claim in paragraph 13?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do the sentences “To use the words of Martin Buber . . . relegating persons to the status of things,” refine and develop the sentence that precedes them: “It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority”?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King’s reasoning for why segregation cannot be “considered democratically structured” contribute to his claims?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King use figurative language in paragraph 17? How does it further his purpose?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What does King imply in the last sentence of paragraph 17? How does this implication develop his purpose?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the example of the legality of “everything Hitler did in Germany” further King’s purpose?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“In This Blind Alley” by Ahmad Shamlu
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is a central idea in the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the speaker’s relationship to “they” impact your understand of a central idea in the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does Shamlu alter the connotations of the word light in stanza 4?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the figurative language in stanza 3 influence your understanding of stanza 7?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What are the similarities between the speaker’s relationship to “They” in “In This Blind Alley” and African Americans’ relationship with the “white power structure” as expressed in paragraphs 10–11 in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does King’s description of the “vicious mobs” and “hate-filled policemen” in paragraph 11 relate to Shamlu’s descriptive language in this poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What connections can you draw between a central idea from “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and a central idea present in “In This Blind Alley”?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices, including figurative language and connotation, on the development of a central idea present in both “In This Blind Alley” and ”Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Freedom” by Rabindranath Tagore
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What word does the speaker use at the beginning of each line? How does Tagore draw attention to this word throughout the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the poet use imagery to describe his Motherland in line 2?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the reference to shackles develop a new image of the Motherland in line 3?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What image does the speaker use to describe his Motherland’s destiny in line 4? Which words does he use to create this image?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does this image in line 4 develop the relationship between the Motherland and its destiny?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What image does Tagore use to describe fear at the beginning of the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does the imagery used to describe fear change over the course of the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How does Tagore use imagery to develop the relationship between fear and freedom in the poem?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do King and his affiliates in the civil rights movement differ from Tagore's motherland in response to oppression?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To whom do King and Tagore address their texts? Analyze the similarities and differences between their addressees. Support your response with evidence from both texts.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do King and Tagore use imagery to develop the idea of freedom in relation to their individual circumstances?